Village Urges Residents to Register Dogs, Announces Plans for New Website
For some Garden Cityites, the dog days of summer may be spent enjoying outdoor dining or taking long walks in the park. However, resident dog owners should also remember to make a stop at Village Hall to obtain a dog license and register their furry friend.
As of Jan. 1, 2011, the village has assumed the responsibility for dog license issuances and administration of all facts of licensing programs. At the July board of trustees meeting, Village Clerk Brian Ridgway announced the village’s official dog stats: 376 dogs are currently registered in Garden City. Since the change in the law, the village has already issued 176 dog tags; including 140 renewals, and 36 new licenses are in process.
Ridgway said the new dog-licensing initiative has resulted in a small amount of revenue for the village. “The end result is revenue of about $6,400, which will cover our first year of expenses, so that program is working out nicely. I have reached out to the Property Owners’ Associations and asked them if they will be so kind in their upcoming publications to give me a little space to encourage the importance of licensing the dogs in our village,” Ridgway said.
In December of 2010, the board approved funds for the engagement services/software services for a dog-licensing module at a cost of $4,960.
Mayor Donald Brudie asked Ridgway if the village has made enough revenue to account for those expenses.
The mayor briefly reminded residents that the state changed their procedure on dog licenses last year. “They used to take care of the licensing operations and now they are I guess, cutting expenses and dropped it off in our laps. And now we have to buy special equipment for it…we are going to lose money the first year until we recoup that loss, how are we doing on that,” Brudie said.
Ridgway responded that if all goes well and the remaining dogs come forward that are scheduled to be renewed by the end of the year, there will be a surplus. “We will have a plus of about $300 in our first year, which I think is quite good, and we move forward in a positive way each year thereafter.”
The village will also begin to work with Inspector Jackson of The Garden City Police to “come with some sort of enforcement policy” in the future, according to Ridgway.
In other notable news, the village has announced plans to roll out its new website this October. Ridgway said he is working to make the site as user-friendly and easy to negotiate as possible. A new feature of the site will include the ability to use credit cards to pay water bill and tax bill online.
“Those details are being worked out and more information will be forwarded to the board when available,” Ridgway said.
